A vasectomy is surgical procedure which typically involves the removal of all or part of the ducts that carry sperm out of the testes (i.e., the vas deferens), thereby stopping the flow of sperm from the testicle to the prostate gland. After the vas deferens is interrupted, the sperm cannot be delivered and the man is rendered sterile. Unfortunately there are a few complications that are related to the procedure which cause significant concern but no real damage.
In non-elastic tissue, a small amount of bleeding is quickly stopped by the tension that develops in the tissue. However, the scrotal skin is highly elastic. Accordingly, a tamponade effect is created in most tissue that does not occur in the scrotum. Thus, even the slightest amount of persistent bleeding can cause tremendously large hematomas. Rough handling of the tissue, in a similar manner, causes significant swelling. Even the most experienced vasectomy surgeons occasionally encounter these problems.
Another problem associated with conventional vasectomy procedures involves the natural tendency of the cut ends of the vas deferens to grow back together, thereby allowing the flow of sperm to the prostate and resumption of fertility. Means for avoiding this failure has been the subject of debate among those skilled in the art, the question being whether the vas deferens should be clipped, cut, cauterized, ligated or all of the above. At present, the prevailing opinion for improving current procedures (discussed hereinafter) seems to be that further dissection (with the potential for further bleeding and swelling) should be used to remove a significant amount of tissue between the cut ends to minimize the possibility of contact.
Conventional vasectomy procedures are depicted in FIGS. 1 through 7 and discussed in detail hereinafter. As shown in the Figures, the vas deferens 2 is readily located within the scrotum 4, between testicles 6 and the prostate. As depicted in FIG. 1, a portion of the vas deferens 2 is trapped against the skin of the scrotum 4 by digital manipulation. As seen in FIG. 2, a standard blunt-tipped surgical clamp 8 (commonly referred to as a “vas clamp”) is then used to temporarily hold the trapped duct 2 against the skin of the scrotum 4. The scrotum 4 is then punctured and the wound expanded sufficiently to allow dissection of the vas deferens 2, following which the duct 2 is grasped at partial thickness using a clamp 10 and extracted as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. As seen in FIG. 5, the vas sheath 12 is retracted and an electrocautery with a blunt wire 14 is inserted into each hemitransected vas. In FIG. 6, ligation is complete. FIG. 7 depicts the anatomy after completion of the procedure on a vas deferens. For simplicity purposes, the above discussion describes only the principle steps, shown to demonstrate the principles of the procedure; intermediate steps have been eliminated. In any event, the large number of discrete steps creates multiple opportunities for complications. Also, the presence of bodily fluids during resection steps creates hazardous conditions for clinicians when performing the procedure on an HIV+ patient.
Thus, conventional vasectomy techniques suffer from a number of disadvantages, including, but not limited to, a substantial risk for the development of hematomas and swelling, a potential for spontaneous regeneration and undesired resumption of fertility, a need for a highly skilled surgical professional, as well as a long recovery period, accompanied by severe limitations on post-surgical activity. The present invention is intended to overcome disadvantages and deficiencies of the prior art.